A REVIEW of the investigation into last year’s neo-Nazi attack on patrons of the Mariatchi Bar in Nitra has led to punishment for the prosecutors but not for the police officers involved in the case, the Sme daily reported in its February 25 issue.
Nitra regional prosecutor Vojtech Ernest reproached the two prosecutors for elementary violation of duties, the mildest form of disciplinary punishment the regional prosecutor can administer without discussing it with a disciplinary committee, the TASR newswire reported.
The reprimands came after General Prosecutor Jaromír Čižnár criticised the Nitra prosecutors in early February before the parliamentary committee for security and defence over their handling of two attacks, in October 2013 and January 2014, after the media reported on them and published a video from the municipal security camera that recorded the earlier incident.
Čižnár said that he plans to meet with Ernest to discuss the punishments, and to specifically ask him why he decided that these punishments were appropriate, General Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Andrea Predajňová told the SITA newswire. The meeting is to take place this week.
Sme published on January 28 the video footage showing a group of neo-Nazis attacking customers of the Mariatchi bar, a popular student hangout in downtown Nitra, during which they kicked one victim in the head repeatedly.
The incident was reportedly just one in a series of similar attacks. On New Year’s Eve, customers were attacked by neo-Nazis from Walhala, a neighbouring club. Though officially listed as a “private card-playing club”, according to Mariatchi owner Radovan Richtárik, it is a pub whose clientele regularly gets drunk and misbehaves, as reported by Sme. Richtárik’s leg was broken in the New Year’s assault.
Though the first attack was recorded via the town’s street cameras and the attackers’ faces are visible, the police waited until after Sme broke the story to charge the perpetrators.
Sme also reported that none of the police officers involved in the case were punished.
“No inactivity of authorised police officers was found during the investigation of the case,” Ivan Netík from the communication department of the Interior Ministry told Sme.
Source: Sme, SITA, TASR
For more information about this story please see: Nitra prosecutors reject criticism
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
